Information For:

History

Description

History is the study of how societies and cultures across the world change over time. History concentrators learn to write and think critically, and to understand issues from a variety of perspectives. The department offers a wide variety of courses concerned with changes in human experience through time, ranging from classical Greek and Roman civilizations to the histories of Europe, the Americas, and Asia. While some courses explore special topics, others concentrate on the history of a particular country (e.g. Russia or France) or period of time (e.g. the Middle Ages or the Renaissance). By taking advantage of our diverse course offerings, students can engage in and develop broad perspectives on the past and the present.

Student Goals

Students in this concentration will:

Approach the study of the past from a multicultural perspective

Understand the nature of evidence and its relation to different historical methodologies

Develop expertise in at least one chronological and geographical field of study

Hone their writing abilities

Produce a body of original, historical research

Requirements

Click here for a list of the History concentration requirements. For more information about this concentration, please visit the department's website.

Honors and Capstones

Capstone seminars (numbered in the 1970-1989 series) are designed to serve as an intellectual culmination of the concentration, providing an opportunity to delve deeply into a historical problem and to write a major research and/or analytical paper All students must complete the capstone. Qualifying students who wish to write a thesis may apply for the Honors program. Honors students must have achieved two-thirds “quality grades” (grades of “A” or “S with Distinction”) in History department courses. Honors is normally a three-semester process. HIST 1992 is optional and HIST 1993 and HIST 1994 are required. Students going abroad during their 6th semester should take HIST 1992 in semester 5, to prepare them for research in foreign archives. Seniors may complete their theses in either semester 7 or semester 8. Students who are considering applying for Honors are encouraged to meet with the History Department Director of Undergraduate Studies (DUS). Please consult the department’s website for a complete description of admission procedures and requirements.

Liberal Learning

This concentration allows you to address the following Liberal Learning goals:

Affiliated Departments

Advisors

Graduating Class

Year

Total

Capstone

Honors

2010

84

84

17

2011

79

79

17

2012

72

72

13

2013

62

62

14

2014

81

61

13

Alumni Pathways

Alumni with degrees in history have pursued a wide range of careers in medicine, business, law, management consulting, communications and media, and the foreign service. They now work for firms including Amazon.com, Google, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Archives, Dow Jones and Company, DreamWorks, Kaiser Permanente, Cisco Systems, Polo/Ralph Lauren Corporation, Department of the Treasury, and Algonquin Books.